Sunday 28th June 2020 (2) – A Meditation for Worship

Pilgrimage to Welcome

In life pilgrimage is more than a walking journey.

For some there will be 

the formal practice of pilgrimage – 

of putting on the walking shoes

and setting out for a sacred site

hoping to be welcomed

at each staging post

with something to feed our hunger,

quench (slaich) our thirst,

and rest the weary limbs.

For all of us,

pilgrimage

is life’s journey.

In each age and stage

there is a pattern of 

birth, childhood, adolescence,

adulthood and –

while we struggle with the thought and word – 

death.

Within each stage

we hunger for growth,

we thirst for life,

and rest in our achievements.

Through each age

we make a pilgrimage of emotion,

as we wrestle with the celebrations,

the disappointments and grief,

the frustrations and loneliness,

the joys and revelations.

We become the guests of those

who feed our hungers

by offering the comfort and support we need,

who fill our cups with companionship,

and sit amidst our fears and doubts

until we are refreshed with hope.

It is on life’s pilgrimage

we learn to become the hosts of Christ:

prepared to make welcome

those who look to us to be the staging post

at which they will falter

and look for the support the crave;

the streams of love

in which to wade,

and be renewed,

ready to walk on

unhindered by baggage 

until the next host of welcome is in sight.

Sunday 28th June 2020 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

This week, even though we are on-line, we will be marking the end of the year for the young church. This means that much of what might happen lies in the hands of others.

However this is the week where I have already prepared things for others to use. This link will take you to them.

Click to access 28_June_4_Sunday_after_Pentecost.pdf

Weekly Worship on the Church of Scotland Website

Sunday 21st June 2020 – Third Sunday after Pentecost

Call to Worship

In times of trouble and when tears are never far away

God is kind and gracious, and generous with love.

When resources seem stretched, 

the tender hand of heaven reaches out

God is kind and gracious, and generous with love.

The work of creation is incomparable,

opening our hearts to praise

God is kind and gracious, and generous with love.

Based on Psalm 86: 1-10

Opening Prayer

Present in every part of our lives,

Your creation places her trust in You,

God of wonder.

All day long

You bring joy:

joy found in 

the birdsong go the morning,

the glow of light through the day,

the refreshment of rain,

the presence of others,

the silence of a moment,

the pleasure of taste to the palate

and of food to the stomach,

the rest our bodies need for another day,

the hum of night time insects;

joy find in the memory of Your faith presence in human life,

as events with in our own lives

bring Christ’s story to mind

causing us to remember why we have place our trust in joy:

joy found 

in the birth of a child

in children’s learning

in the angst of teenage anticipation of independence

in the welcoming of new friends and relationships,

in discovering a purpose and promise for our lives,

in meals that speak of hope,

in the support we find in times of loss.

You hear us in our times of need,

and hold us safe,

preparing us for ventures we must make alone.

Overflowing with love,

Christ of the cross,

You have shown us what it means 

to offer forgiveness.

In the moments the we recognise our failings,

we discover that saying “sorry”

is far too easy,

or impossibly difficult.

At times we hurry to say the words,

without recognising the pain and the hurt we have cause;

at other times,

we do not want to appear weak and foolish.

Open our eyes to the broken people and relationships

who have experienced

our ability to take them for granted.

Silence

Guiding Spirit,

call us back to dwell within Your house,

that the trouble we cause may be laid to rest,

and so that Your forgiveness may bless us

to speak of love

and reshape our lives to Christ’s.

Amen

Sunday 14th June 2020 – Second Sunday after Pentecost

Call to Worship

In the turning of the year

and the changing of the seasons

We have put our trust in God.

 

In the journeys we have made,

the experiences we have shared

We have put our trust in God.

 

As we look towards the future,

searching for resolution and new beginnings

Let us put our trust in God.

Inspired by Exodus 19: 2-8a

 

Opening Prayer

Creator of the earth,

We shout with joy for all You have made.

In the unity of singing,

the solemnity of prayer,

and the expectation of Your word

we gather to worship and wonder

at the Presence of heaven

to whom we belong.

In Your hands

creation is perfectly formed

and loved through all of time.

 

You are the hope of our lives,

for when humanity fails,

You offer unbounded grace

that spills love into our hearts.

Christ’s presence on the earth

was a demonstration of Your love,

that reached into the darkness of death

to offer the light of change.

 

Still we stumble through our lives.

The challenge of facing another day,

and allowing our lives to speak of You

weighs heavy on us.

In tacit acceptance of the way things are,

we fail to voice concern,

or change the pattern of our own lives.

Preferring the comfortable and easy passage of life,

we are blinded 

to the challenges that others will face.

Seeking forgiveness,

we lift our heads

to see the world beyond our windows

and the care and attention it needs.

 

Silence

 

God of us all,

You send Your Spirit full of love

to challenge us to persevere through the difficulties

of life.

We are forgiven in Your heart

before we air the words

and perform the task,

and You persevere in the shaping 

of who we are

that we may better reflect Christ to the world.

Amen.